I remember
so clearly my first time holding a newborn baby. I was 9
years old, and one of my mother's closest friends had just given
birth. My mother was actually the first doula I ever met;
she had been present for the entire process, and the
first thing I ever heard about how to support a woman in labor
was my mother's tale of giving an eight hour foot
massage. It wasn't until I became a doula myself that I
realized how much dedication and love my mother must have had
for her friend, and appreciated that story all the more.
Two days after his
birth, my mother's friend brought her new son home. I had
never met a newborn before. I was awed by him, and totally
intimidated. I sat at his mom's feet for the longest time,
just staring at this tiny bundle, and growing more and more uncertain
of how to relate to such a being. She finally suggested that
I could tickle his feet through the blanket. Five minutes
later, she asked me politely to please stop tickling his foot before
it fell off! I was mortified, but once I had been informed
of what was a safe and appropriate way to interact with this creature,
I couldn't seem to do anything else. I was already in love
with everything about babies and thrilled to my core to be so close
to one, but totally without a clue as to what to do with him.
So, she kindly set me up on the couch with her new son, and a bottle,
and I fed him for a blissful half hour. I felt so grateful
to be shown how to hold him, and to be allowed this special time.
I never forgot that feeling.
I
tell this story to share with you how well I understand that first
moment, when the baby is born, and you can't for the life of you
figure out what to do with her! This was a pivotal moment
in my own life, one in which I discovered a calling to work with
babies, with expanding families, and with birthing women.
Now it is my pleasure to share the knowledge I spent the next
20+ years gaining (that baby is in college now!), and to support families
in creating their first joyful, breathtaking moments together.
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